10 Critically-Acclaimed 2013 Video Games (With Major Gameplay Flaws)

2013 has been a stellar year for gaming. From cinematic mainstream AAA titles like GTA V, The Last Of Us and Bioshock Infinite, to the steadily increasing rise of the indies like Brothers: Tale of Two Sons and Gone Home, the end of 2013 has left behind many memorable gaming experiences, and hopefully inspire success in 2014.

With the colossal amount of critical acclaim these games have garnered, it has become quite a bit easier to overlook their less superb aspects, but it would be foolish to suggest that any game last year – even the most critically acclaimed – were anything like perfect. Despite having the power and financial clout of some of the biggest gaming studios behind them, some games hit the market broken, and not just the infamous examples like Aliens: Colonial Marines, which was comically awful, or some of the lesser, basically unplayable titles of the year.

Some of the most notoriously flawed games of the year were actually the same titles that were counted as the most critically acclaimed of the year, proving once more why developers and publishers think it’s fine to release unfinished or undercooked titles. Because they will still sell, and will still be acclaimed, no matter what.

In this list we will take a look (in no particular order) at some of most popular and highly rated games of 2013, and the flaws they possess that would have brought lesser games down.

Brittany Gadsden has lots of hobbies. Like playing video games. And...reading about video games. And...writing about video games. She swears there's more, but she's too busy playing video games to really elaborate.

So how do you explain solo moments where AI is poor? You can’t defend The Last Of Us in terms of gameplay, it is simply so-so. The story and characters make it the best tale told in a game in the last 10 years, but in terms of a “game”, it severely lacks.

I have to take issue with the ‘Beyond: Two Souls’ entry. It’s all about context, and David Cage has never tried to hide what type of game he likes to make. Every bit of gameplay serves it’s proper purpose, and it has at least as much effect as what most games offer.

Speaking of, there’s never a long period of the game where you can let go of the controller without being asked for input, so I would argue there is plenty of gameplay.

My main problem with Bioshock Infinite was the lack of exposition. I had no clue who the main character was, what precisely he wanted to do and how and why he intended to do it. So, for the first hour, I just followed the arrows and the narrator’s clues and stumbled through a gorgeous but really unconvincing world (with some people shooting at me and others refraining from doing so for no apparent reason). Killed the immersion for me.

I have to agree on all points. People heap so much praise on certain “special” games they start overlooking flaws that they would definitely care about if it was a different game. Glad to see someone calling them out on it!

Bioshock Infinite is just an awful videogame. Ken creates amazing worlds, strong characters and engaging stories…but the gameplay is always clunky.
I’m glad he’s getting a break in Hollywood. It’s where he really belongs, I just hope some exec doesn’t snip his vision.